Yarrabah /Palm Island – Sport – Description – 1938
Item
Sport
Rugby League See all items with this value
Athletics See all items with this value
Horse racing See all items with this value
Communities Involved
Palm Island See all items with this value
Yarrabah See all items with this value
Year
1938
Place
Palm Island, Queensland See all items with this value
Title
Yarrabah /Palm Island – Sport – Description – 1938
Description
Describing Aboriginal people in the north, including Palm, Yarrabah and Mona Mona:
"Inherently sport-loving, the entire "camp" attends the outskirts of every race meeting, sports, football match, or wood chop, and their 'barracking' is often one of the highlights of the day.
Sometimes some young 'buck' is a participant in a game of football, mostly Rugby, and, in action, is the cynosure of all his dusky brethren's eyes.
Some so-called white 'sports' take an unholy delight in giving these 'boys' an extra hard 'dump' or tackle— entirely uncalled for, but the aborigine generally takes it in good part, at times grinning at his pals after picking himself up from a severe 'grassing'.
Their fleetness of foot and evasiveness make them good players, but they are handicapped by their inability to wear the proper boots. The famous Palm Island
football team that toured the Queensland coastal towns played in sandshoes and
bare feet.
PAUL ROBESON A FAVOURITE
BESIDES football, they have a great liking for buck-jumping shows, race meetings, and the "talkies". In this they are not unlike the great majority of Australians. At any rodeo 'boongs' for miles round will congregate and cheer their champions to victory over the equine outlaws."
"Inherently sport-loving, the entire "camp" attends the outskirts of every race meeting, sports, football match, or wood chop, and their 'barracking' is often one of the highlights of the day.
Sometimes some young 'buck' is a participant in a game of football, mostly Rugby, and, in action, is the cynosure of all his dusky brethren's eyes.
Some so-called white 'sports' take an unholy delight in giving these 'boys' an extra hard 'dump' or tackle— entirely uncalled for, but the aborigine generally takes it in good part, at times grinning at his pals after picking himself up from a severe 'grassing'.
Their fleetness of foot and evasiveness make them good players, but they are handicapped by their inability to wear the proper boots. The famous Palm Island
football team that toured the Queensland coastal towns played in sandshoes and
bare feet.
PAUL ROBESON A FAVOURITE
BESIDES football, they have a great liking for buck-jumping shows, race meetings, and the "talkies". In this they are not unlike the great majority of Australians. At any rodeo 'boongs' for miles round will congregate and cheer their champions to victory over the equine outlaws."